Hide Away
by Enzyme
Summary: Keitaro's beatings have been getting worse, so he decides to hide away in his room and avoid all contact with the girls. What happens when a certain brunette notices and wants to find out why he's hiding? Naru x Keitaro, One-shot! Lots of fluff!


**Hey y'all! Felt like I should get back into the one-shot mood with a little bit of Love Hina.**

**So here ya go.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but dammit! I want a second season!**

* * *

"KEITARROOOO!"

_BAM_

Kitsune watched as her manager was sent flying through the air by yet another one of Naru Narusegawa's power packed punches. Of course, this was likely the result of Keitaro's clumsiness. Whether it's tripping and falling into someone's cleavage or accidentally groping their butts, Keitaro always manages to succeed in one of those things.

Keitaro is normally subject to thrashings and beatings every time something like that happens. Usually, after he recovers, he promptly comes back, apologizes, and goes back on his happy way. One thing Keitaro could never understand was why he was never given the opportunity to explain himself. Haruka had once made an attempt to defend her dear nephew, only to be ignored by a fuming Motoko and Naru.

Recently, however, the attacks on the poor, misfortunate manager has forced him to make himself scarce around Hinata Sou. Normally, he was more or less indifferent about the attacks. On one hand, he was frustrated that he was automatically presumed to be a perverted creep who likes to peep on the girls when they're indecent, but on the other hand, he knows that these girls have never had a male manager at their all female dorm, which would make anyone a bit edgy.

His scarceness definitely hasn't gone unnoticed by the tenants of Hinata Sou. Especially for the brunette who was usually on the giving end of Keitaro's brutal punishments.

"Ugh, where is that perverted manager of ours? He can't just up and disappear when there are things around here that need to get done!" Naru fumed, sitting in the love seat across from Kitsune and Motoko.

"I don't see why you're complaining, the place is in good order and he's not sexually harassing you. Ain't this what'chu wanted in the first place Naru?" Kitsune said, a grin on her face.

"Yeah but- well- uhhh…" Naru fumbled over her words for a moment. "The hot springs needs to be cleaned! Yeah! It won't clean itself!" She laughed nervously at poor excuse. Truthfully, although she wouldn't admit it to herself or anyone else, she missed having the cheerful manager around. Sure, she thought he was a hopeless pervert who didn't have much to look forward to, but he was still a good friend.

"Why do you think he's been hiding away in his room lately, Kitsune?" Naru said, trying to change the topic.

Another voice, not belonging to that of Naru, Kitsune, or Motoko, intervened before anyone had a chance to say anything.

"Maybe because he's sick of being pummeled within an inch of his life because of something he didn't do?"

It was none other than Keitaro's aunt, Haruka. She had he usual attire on and a cigarette in her mouth, a bored look on her face. She had taken note of how Keitaro had been thrashed even more than normal lately. Luck most certainly was not on his side.

"W-What do you mean?" Naru asked, wide-eyed.

Haruka sighed. "Haven't you noticed that every time Keitaro does something you guys deem perverted, he does his best to avert his eyes or correct his mistake?"

Naru looked at Kitsune, whom of which only shrugged.

Haruka heaved another sigh. "This is all on you guys. You all had it coming, especially with the way you abuse him." With that, she turned and left, blowing a puff of smoke from her cigarette out of her mouth as she did. Naru only sat there on the love seat, a confused expression on her face.

"I wonder what she meant by that?"

Kitsune shrugged yet again following it up with a swig of vodka while Motoko blankly stared at her friend. Kitsune knew full well what Haruka meant by what she said, but, figured she'd not say anything. Kitsune inwardly chuckled at Naru's predicament.

'_This girl is more clueless than a sack o' sand, this will be SOOO much fun to watch'_

Naru sighed, obviously deep in thought. Why would Haruka say such things? She didn't do anything to Keitaro that he didn't deserve. Perverts should get what they deserve, right? A good whack in the face for trying to peek in on innocent girls is a perfectly viable form of punishment, right? She remained baffled at the thought.

A sly grin grew on Kitsune's face. "Say, Naru, why don't you go talk to that manager of ours and see what's up with him? I'm sure he'd be more than willing to tell you!" She suggested, a bright smile on her face.

Naru's eyes light up for a split second. "That's a great idea, Kitsune," After a moment of silence, she looked down at her lap. "…But what if Keitaro doesn't want to tell us…? I mean, what if it's some family problem? Or what if he's sick? That must be it! He must be sick, yeah. That's it." She concluded, a proud smile donning her face.

Kitsune's grin only grew bigger at that. "Then why don't you go nurse our poor, poor manager back to health! I'm sure he would really appreciate that." She said, adding emphasis to the "poor, poor" part of her statement.

"B-b-but what if I end up getting sick! I can't get sick! If I do, I'll fall behind in school and my chances for getting into Todai will be ruined!" Naru hysterically placed a hand on her forehead, closing her eyes.

"But then if you do that, then Keitaro will fall behind too, then he'll never make it into Todai either!" Kitsune countered, the same evil looking grin on her face.

Naru's face turned a shade of red, unsure of how to reply to Kitsune. "I… I… Fine… I'll go check on that bonehead to see if he's alright." She relented, an obvious blush on her face as she got up and headed for the stairs.

"That was very cruel of you, Kitsune-san." Motoko said once Naru was out of earshot.

"Whatever do you mean, Ms. Motoko? I'm just trying to bring together two star-crossed lovers!" Kitsune said, her trademark foxy grin etched on her face.

Motoko scoffed before heading towards the stairs herself.

"Oooohhhhhh, this will be a TON of fun!" Kitsune giggled before taking another swig of vodka.

* * *

Keitaro sighed as he looked up at the hole in his ceiling, which was covered by the piece of wood that Naru always used to block it off.

'_Why do I do this to myself? All she does is beat me up and berate me, why am I still so madly in love with this woman. She doesn't even love me back…'_

Keitaro sighed again as he stood up from his bed and moved over to his desk. He proceeded to open up a calculus book and begin his fervent studying. He had regressed to doing such things lately in order to avoid anymore run-ins with any of the girls. He had taken note that their beatings had become especially brutal lately, and that it would be best to hide away until the storm passed.

'_Must be that time of the month,' _He had thought with a wry chuckle. It wasn't until a week into the beatings that he realized that it **wasn't** the time of month. The solution to avoid being beaten to death would be to eliminate the common denominator; wandering around the inn. If he stayed his room and studied all day long, he'd be able to avoid being mercilessly thrashed on a regular basis and be able to get into Todai without any problem at all! It was a win-win situation for him, so he couldn't refuse it. The only thing eating at him, especially lately, was not being able to see the girl he adored so much. There would be times where he would have to get up to grab a bite to eat or to use the restroom, and in doing so, he would try to steal a glance at the brunette, making sure she wasn't looking. Most of the time, she would be in her room studying as well, or in the main room snacking on something. He would always end up slipping by the girl before she would even notice that he was ever there.

Keitaro's head shot up from the book at the sound of knocking at his door.

"Errm… Come in!" He shouted, unsure of what to expect.

The door opened slowly and the girl that had plagued his thoughts and dreams over the past week peered around the corner of the door.

"Keitaro…? You okay?"

The manager's eyes widened. "Naru? Yeah, I'm okay, why do you ask?" He replied, trying to seem as normal as possible.

"Well… We haven't really seen you around lately… a-and we were kind of worried that you had gotten sick or something, so I came to check on you…" She mumbled, her eyes focused on the ground in front of her.

'_So she does care…'_

"Gomen, Naru, I've just been really getting into my studies lately. I really want to get into Todai with you, Naru."

'_Well, at least I'm not lying.'_ He wryly thought.

Naru looked up at the boy, her eyes searching his. "But… You never even come out to say hi to us anymore. You come out, clean and collect rent, that's it… You don't even sit and have dinner with us anymore Keitaro…"

To Keitaro, it was like watching a puppy beg for a treat. He could feel his heart just being turned inside out and his stomach had double the amount of butterflies.

"Naru… I… Well…" The boy continued to fumble around with his words before pausing and taking a deep breath. "Naru… The reason I've been staying in my room a lot lately is because…"

Naru's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"I'm kind of fed up with being pummeled all the time…" He finished with a sad tone to his voice. Naru's eyes widened as she reached an epiphany.

'_Haruka… That's what she meant…' _

"Naru, I'm just… I'm sick of it, honestly. You're not the only one, don't get me wrong… But I'm sick of being accused of being a lowly pervert or some of the other vulgar things you like to call me before hitting me, especially for things I don't mean to do or things I didn't actually do… I guess… I guess I can't fault you for thinking like that though… Me being a guy living in an all girls dorm… It would be absurd for any guy to be able to resist the urge to peek in on girls in the hot spring or while they're changing… But… That's not me, nor will it ever be me. I have more respect for you girls than that, that's why I work so hard to keep this place spick and span. I want you guys to be able to relax as much as you want and never have to do all the dirty work. Lately, though… I've found it difficult to keep up with that stuff, seeing as I'm always busy trying to recover from a supersonic punch or a super charged sword slash… So… I'm… Well… I'm sorry for not being around enough, Naru. I didn't mean to worry you, I just figured I was becoming a nuisance to you and everyone else."

The flood gates had opened for poor Naru, and now her tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Keitaro… You… We… I… I'm so sorry!" She fell to her knees, face buried in her hands, sobbing her little heart out. Keitaro, although hesitant at first, made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around the sobbing brunette while whispering things like "it's okay," and "I forgive you."

"All I ever do to you is beat you and call you names… Why do you put up with it? Why do you care so much, Keitaro! I don't deserve it… We don't deserve it… Why?"

Keitaro moved his hands to caress Naru's cheeks, using his thumb to lightly brush away a tear that was streaming down her face. "I thought I already told you why, silly."

"W-why…?"

"Because I love you, Naru."

Naru remained speechless, her big brown eyes still gazing into Keitaro's brown eyes. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she tackled the unsuspecting manager to the ground with a fervent kiss. Keitaro obviously had not been expecting this, barely able to return the kiss himself, but after recomposing, he was able to return the favor, kissing the girl of his dreams back with passion.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the two broke off the kiss, both gasping for air.

"I… I love you too, Keitaro." Naru whispered, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Keitaro flashed her a genuine smile before pulling her into an embrace. The couple stayed like that for about five minutes, neither one saying anything.

Naru finally broke the silence. "Keitaro?"

"What is it, Naru?"

"I promise that I won't hit you ever again without hearing your side of the story first." Naru said with confidence.

Keitaro only chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad, thank you Naru…"

* * *

Keitaro sighed as he placed the "Warning: Keitaro cleaning hot spring." Sign on the entrance to the hot springs. He had learned to make the girls aware to his presence in areas where articles of clothing were not normally worn, specifically the hot springs.

You could only imagine the poor manager's surprised when none other than Naru Narusegawa opened the door to the hot spring clad in only a towel. If Keitaro had access to a 'panic' button, he would most definitely need it right now.

"N-N-NARU! I-I-I was just cleaning t-the hot spring a-a-and—"

"Keitaro? Oh, gomen! Gomen! I didn't know you were cleaning up the hot spring, I don't have my glasses, so I must've missed the sign!" She quickly bowed and zipped out of the hot spring. Keitaro sighed a humongous sigh of relief and grinned.

"She's staying true to her promise. Things actually are looking up from here."

* * *

**AANNNDD CUT! I really hope I didn't screw this up too bad, seeing as it's my first Love Hina fic and I haven't been writing near as much as what I normally do, so poopy on me. It probably doesn't help that it has probably been a full year since I've even watched Love Hina or even read the Manga, so if anything seems off, private message me your angry messages about where I screwed up. :3**

**Remember to reviewwwwwww! :D**


End file.
